Dead in 2008

[SD_Eagle5]

Roy Scheider

They should play the Jaws music when they're lowering the casket

[Munson]

They're gonna need a bigger casket.

[Feva]

I think we're gonna need a bigger boat...

[Father Demon]

Congressman Tom Lantos

#1 name on my ghoulpool waiver wire list.  Dammit.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Natural selection is a wonderful thing

[Father Demon]

The biggest footnote in rock-n-roll history

Noted for enjoying fifteen minutes of fame—quite literally—on November 20, 1973 (then 19 years old), during a concert by The Who at the Cow Palace in suburban San Francisco.

About seventy minutes into the show, drummer Keith Moon, whose fondness for drugs and alcohol was legendary, began to falter during "Won't Get Fooled Again," fell off his drum stool, and passed out. As the house lights went up, Moon was carried offstage by roadies, who placed him in a shower in an attempt to revive him. Their efforts worked. An injection of cortisone got him back onstage after approximately a thirty minute delay.

The show continued with "Magic Bus." The percussion of the song's opening verses consisted only of Moon hitting two wooden blocks against one another. However, when the drums were actually required, Moon only played for a few more minutes before passing out again. He was carried off—this time not to return. Reportedly, Moon had swallowed four times the amount of tranquilizers offered to him by a fan while remarking, "Of course I can take it. I'm Keith farging Moon!"

The remaining three band members, frustrated, briefly began ad-libbing, then played "See Me, Feel Me", sans drums, with vocalist Roger Daltrey adding a tambourine for percussion. The song received a huge response, and Townshend thanked the crowd for putting up with a three-quarter-strength band. Instead of leaving the stage, though, Pete asked the crowd, "Can anybody play the drums?" He repeated the question, adding forcefully, "I mean someone good!"

At this time, Halpin and his friend were at the left edge of the stage, and his friend, Mike Danese, began noisily telling the security staff, "He can play!" In truth, Halpin had not played in a year, but Danese made enough of a commotion that he had attracted the concert's promoter, Bill Graham.

    "Graham just looked at me and said, 'Can you do it?' And I said "Yes," straight out. Townshend and Daltrey look around and they're as surprised as I am, because Graham put me up there." [5][6]

Halpin was given a shot of brandy for his nerves before sitting at his first drumset since leaving Iowa.

    "Then I got really focused, and Townshend said to me, 'I'm going to lead you. I'm going to cue you.'"

Townshend introduced him as "Scot", and went straight into the riff of "Smokestack Lightning". This was a very loose blues jam, Halpin's drum work fitting in well enough, and it shortly became "Spoonful". Less successful, however, was his contribution to the more complex "Naked Eye", and he failed to provide the contrasting tempos despite Townshend attempting to give him instructions. Halpin did not look at all flustered, though, and established a steady beat throughout. The show ended after "Naked Eye", and Halpin took a center-stage bow with Daltrey, Townshend, and bassist John Entwistle. Afterwards, he was taken backstage (with his friend) and given a Who concert jacket, which Halpin said was stolen later that evening.

Halpin died on 2/8/08, at the age of 54.

This guy certainly doesn't pass the Dio test, but it's a really cool farging story.

[Geowhizzer]

Howard the Duck creator Steve Gerber

[Diomedes]

Larry Davis

and if you don't know who he is

AMERICAN HERO

[methdeez]

Why is he a hero?
Because he's good at murder?

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

He killed corrupt cops, in theory.  That would be heroic.

[methdeez]

Wasn't he also a crack dealer?
And a murderer of other crack dealers?

I don't care who you are dealing for, being a crack dealer makes you an automatic non hero, as does killing others for money or drugs, regardless of how bad those people are.

[Father Demon]

WilliamF. Buckey, 82

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

WilliamF. Buckey, 82

He's a Republican, so according to consensus on this board, was a hateful racist.  Thus, this should be in the good riddance thread.

[Father Demon]

WilliamF. Buckey, 82

He's a Republican, so according to consensus on this board, was a hateful racist.  Thus, this should be in the good riddance thread.

He was also an intellectualist, which is against so many on this board.  Again, more points for the Good Riddance argument.

[Rome]

Robin Williams did a killer impersonation of Buckley.